Oct. 12, 2008
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Transcript Of Navy Head Football Coach Ken Niumatalolo's Comments Following Practice On Friday, October 10
In Attendance: Don Markus (Baltimore Sun)
Markus: Did you get what you wanted out of this week?
Niumatalolo: I think so. We had some good practices and we got some guys healed up a little bit. We are giving them the weekend off and then we will come back on Monday ready to go.
Markus: Is Kettani OK?
Niumatalolo: Yeah, he practiced yesterday and probably pushed it a little too hard so we held him out today for precautionary reasons.
Markus: Did you know right away that Jabaree Tuani had the potential to step in and play?
Niumatalolo: We saw him on tape and really liked him, he was very athletic, but you never know until they get here. He not only has great physical skills, but he also has football smarts. He transfers stuff from the classroom to the field very easily. Coach Pehrson said he is one of the few guys that doesn't make the same mistake twice. He's as good as we've had in a long time.
Markus: When he got the sack in the Towson game did that open your eyes to what he might be able to do this year?
Niumatalolo: It opened our eyes, but the game that really showed what he could do was Wake Forest. I think you saw against Clemson that Wake Forest is pretty good. He is going to be a good one.
Markus: How much does that change the dynamic of the defense when you have a guy that can get to the quarterback and create havoc up front?
Niumatalolo: It hasn't just been him. Nate Frazier and Matt Nechak have both been doing a good job and we are excited to get Mike Walsh back. Ryan Griffith, Billy Yarborough, Kyle Bookhout, Jordan Stephens, all those guys have contributed up front and they have allowed us to keep everybody fresh.
Markus: What is Vela's status?
Niumatalolo: He will be back next week.
Markus: How about Corey Johnson?
Niumatalolo: He will be back too. He probably could have practiced this week, but with the bye week we were able to take our time with him.
Markus: How about Kaipo?
Niumatalolo: We hope he is back Monday. We are going to give him limited reps on Monday.
